Some gardeners worry how their garden will survive while they are away on holidays. With a little organization and preparation, you can go on holidays without worrying about facing impending doom in your veggie patch when you get home.
1: Plan the timing of your holiday. Don’t decide to go lay on a beach somewhere when you know your gorgeous tomatoes will be turning ripe. You’ll miss out on your harvest and be so disappointed (well I would!). I find the best time to go – if I must go in summer – is mid-summer. My spring vegetables are finished and my summer vegetables aren’t ready yet.
2: Adjust the planting of your garden. If you know you’re going to be away later in summer, then plant everything later so that it matures later – when you’re back and refreshed. This works well for tomatoes, capsicums / peppers, beans etc.
3: Harvest before you leave. If you’re going to be gone a week or so, pick all your beans, even the ones that are too small to use. Beans stop producing when they are allowed to mature, so pick those that will mature while you’re gone. Do the same with eggplant. Tomatoes and peppers can generally either stay on the plant or fall onto the ground without harming the plants. Pick all the female flowers from your summer squash plants. It’s amazing how fast a zucchini can grow into the size of a house when you’re not looking.
Take any fresh veggies along with you, especially if you’re visiting friends or relatives. I’m sure they’ll love it.
4: Get on top of the weeds. Pull out any larger weeds. You don’t want to come home to find your garden taken over by triffids. And gardeners know that one season of weed seeds, means seven years of weeding!
5: Water deeply. Even if it has rained recently before you go away, you still should give your plants a healthy watering before you leave. Even better, is to have an irrigation system set up, with a timer – set and forget.
6: Apply mulch. Mulch thickly (15cm / 6inches) with moistened pea-straw or similar after a good watering. Add some compost under the mulch as an extra bonus for your plants. The mulch will conserve water and prevent weeds.
7: Enjoy your holiday. Now you can leave your garden knowing that it has already been well cared for.
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